Tim Hardaway Jr. has been around the block. Thirteen years in the NBA, five different teams, 1,952 3-pointers made, 23,291 minutes played. Now, at 33, Hardaway is embracing a new role with the Nuggets. He’s emerging as a combination shooting savant, veteran leader and cheerleader. With MVP center Nikola Jokic and star guard Jamal Murray out with injuries, the Nuggets have needed every bit of that. They’ll need Hardaway again Tuesday night when the Nuggets play the Pelicans in New Orleans. Sunday night, Hardaway came off the bench to score 25 points as the plucky, short-handed Nuggets beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks 108-104 at Ball Arena. Last week in Philadelphia, he celebrated from the bench as the Nuggets pulled off what coach David Adelman called “one of the best NBA wins I’ve ever been a part of in my life.” Nuggets’ Christian Braun says he ripped ligaments in ankle injury that cost him 7 weeks Guard Jalen Pickett scored a career-high 29 points against the 76ers, adding five rebounds and seven assists. He shot 7 of 11 from beyond the arc as Hardaway went nuts at the end of the bench. "Tim just loves offense," Pickett said with a knowing laugh. "So when you are making shots and stuff like that ... he loves it when people are scoring and having fun." Harding has also stepped into a leadership role as the Nuggets try to hold serve with Jokic likely out until the end of the month. "Tim's been great," Pickett said. "He's been telling me, 'Be aggressive, get in there, attack.' He sees the work that I put in. So, just having a veteran like that, who can read the game and see the game, is great." Hardaway put in the work on Sunday night, playing 35-plus minutes, draining five of his nine 3-pointers, and shooting 8 for 12 overall. "For the first time this season, tonight, I tried to go out there and just tried to lead by example," Hardaway said. "I really tried to communicate. If I see some things, I'll speak up. "I'm a very passionate person. It comes off as aggressive, more so than not. It's  all about passion for me -- going out there and trying to compete." That's why, during this stretch, when the Nuggets have been forced to go with patchwork lineups, Hardaway is making the most of every minute on the floor. "I look at it as an opportunity, not just for myself, but for the other guys who don't really get that chance, especially when our starting five comes back," he said. "I just want them to relish the moment." The latest on Nikola Jokic’s injury recovery, Denver’s 10-day contract situation | Nuggets Journal And, of course, Hardaway keeps chucking. Why not? He's averaging 13.8 points per game and shooting 41.4% from 3-point range, the best marksmanship of his career and well above his career average of 36.4%. Related Articles Nuggets survive Giannis Antetokounmpo’s comeback push for another win without Nikola Jokic Why Nuggets are bringing Aaron Gordon off the bench as he returns from hamstring injury Short-handed Nuggets blown out in fourth quarter, lose to Hawks Nuggets’ Christian Braun says he ripped ligaments in ankle injury that cost him 7 weeks The latest on Nikola Jokic’s injury recovery, Denver’s 10-day contract situation | Nuggets Journal Adelman is thrilled with Hardaway's production and ability to spark the offense. "For a coach, it's a joy to draw up plays for that guy," Adelman said.  "He just has such a good feel for who he is. You can see it. He's mastered this over the years. He knows his game, and he stays within that. "And I'll say this, just in case you guys are going to ask me, if he goes 1 for 10 from 'three' in the next game -- I hope he does -- I hope he keeps shooting. I hope he goes 3 for 15. He's got to keep shooting the ball. That's his job for us. It's been a blessing that we got him this year for this team." Want more Nuggets news? Sign up for the Nuggets Insider to get all our NBA analysis. ...read more read less